Good morning ladies. Coming to you from a very chilly Minnesota. We got about three inches of snow yesterday. Silly me, I thought we could possibly be that one county that didn't get any. Ha! I was hopeful anyway. We didn't get the worst of it, though. The southern region near Rochester was blessed with nearly a foot. And this morning we are at a mere 24 degrees. So, it was a white Easter. But, we still had a very nice day. My husband and I watched three different church services online, projected to our TV. First, we watched the church service from the church that we merged with last year. Following that, we watched our son preach from his church in South Dakota, and finally, we tuned into our other son's church in Chicago. We love to worship with them, even though most of it is in Spanish. We had a delicious dinner and dessert, and we still have some chocolate-covered strawberries which were sent from my Mom and Dad last week. After a rest, we talked to our kids and grandson and we were so excited to hear him tell us about the Easter story that he learned through an Easter pack that their church had available for the kids. He was a bundle of energy! And finally, last evening we watched the production of "JESUS," taped before a live audience from the Sight & Sound Theatre in Lancaster, PA. It was INCREDIBLE!!! So, even though I missed being with family, as I'm sure you all did, it was still a very blessed day, rejoicing with the fact that our SAVIOR IS ALIVE! So, how about you? How was your weekend?
Devotion
Good reminder today that Jesus is the only One who can fix our brokenness. Have a Magnificent Monday ladies!
"Jesus, the Carpenter"
CBN Ministries, Jennifer E. Jones
“'… Isn't he the carpenter, the son of Mary? Aren't James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon his brothers? Don't his sisters still live here in our town?' The people were very unhappy because of what he was doing." (Mark 6:3, CEV)
When Jesus started His ministry, it was difficult for people to see Him as anything more than a carpenter. His family, neighbors, and friends watched Him grow up making and fixing things. Back then, “Jesus the Rabbi” took a little getting used to.
However, what people didn’t know then and what we need to discover now is that Jesus’ earthly occupation as a carpenter was the perfect prep for His ministry. He would spend the next three years working with the broken.
"’Healthy people don't need a doctor — sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.’" (Mark 2:17, NLT)
We are all living inside the consequences of a sin cycle, being that of our own or someone else’s. It’s an unpleasant result of the fall. Life on this side of Eden carries pain and suffering; eventually, everyone has their heart broken. Whether it’s a failed relationship, lost opportunity, sickness, or the death of a loved one, it happens to the best of us. If you decide to care about anything in this life, somewhere along the way it will break your heart.
One day, I was writing in my prayer journal about my own heartache. Filled with an earnest need to get frustrations off my chest, at one point, I scribbled down and underlined: “I am broken!” Somehow I thought that God was afraid of my pain. I had to get loud about it in order for Him to hear me and find me. The next day in my meditation time, I realized that I couldn’t have been more wrong.
"Going through the motions doesn't please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice." (Psalm 51:16-17, The Message)
God doesn’t take a detour when He sees the traffic cones around the demolition of our hearts. He gets right in there. He inspects the damage. He points out the areas that were eaten away by an infestation of sin. He carefully inspects the places where you tried and failed to fix it yourself. He tears down to build back up, and He goes the extra step to make it better and stronger than it was before. By the time He’s finished, every detail down to the last nail is accounted for and in its proper place. He does thorough work.
The Bible isn’t clear if Jesus did any carpentry work after his ministry began; however, He spent the remainder of His earthly years and then all of eternity fixing the brokenness of humanity. He is offering you a chance today to invite Him into your disaster zone. Trust His skilled and steady hand. Soon, He will unveil His handiwork, and you will see that the Jewish carpenter from Nazareth was the only one who could put you back together again.
Devotion
Good reminder today that Jesus is the only One who can fix our brokenness. Have a Magnificent Monday ladies!
"Jesus, the Carpenter"
CBN Ministries, Jennifer E. Jones
“'… Isn't he the carpenter, the son of Mary? Aren't James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon his brothers? Don't his sisters still live here in our town?' The people were very unhappy because of what he was doing." (Mark 6:3, CEV)
When Jesus started His ministry, it was difficult for people to see Him as anything more than a carpenter. His family, neighbors, and friends watched Him grow up making and fixing things. Back then, “Jesus the Rabbi” took a little getting used to.
However, what people didn’t know then and what we need to discover now is that Jesus’ earthly occupation as a carpenter was the perfect prep for His ministry. He would spend the next three years working with the broken.
"’Healthy people don't need a doctor — sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.’" (Mark 2:17, NLT)
We are all living inside the consequences of a sin cycle, being that of our own or someone else’s. It’s an unpleasant result of the fall. Life on this side of Eden carries pain and suffering; eventually, everyone has their heart broken. Whether it’s a failed relationship, lost opportunity, sickness, or the death of a loved one, it happens to the best of us. If you decide to care about anything in this life, somewhere along the way it will break your heart.
One day, I was writing in my prayer journal about my own heartache. Filled with an earnest need to get frustrations off my chest, at one point, I scribbled down and underlined: “I am broken!” Somehow I thought that God was afraid of my pain. I had to get loud about it in order for Him to hear me and find me. The next day in my meditation time, I realized that I couldn’t have been more wrong.
"Going through the motions doesn't please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice." (Psalm 51:16-17, The Message)
God doesn’t take a detour when He sees the traffic cones around the demolition of our hearts. He gets right in there. He inspects the damage. He points out the areas that were eaten away by an infestation of sin. He carefully inspects the places where you tried and failed to fix it yourself. He tears down to build back up, and He goes the extra step to make it better and stronger than it was before. By the time He’s finished, every detail down to the last nail is accounted for and in its proper place. He does thorough work.
The Bible isn’t clear if Jesus did any carpentry work after his ministry began; however, He spent the remainder of His earthly years and then all of eternity fixing the brokenness of humanity. He is offering you a chance today to invite Him into your disaster zone. Trust His skilled and steady hand. Soon, He will unveil His handiwork, and you will see that the Jewish carpenter from Nazareth was the only one who could put you back together again.
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